Smallspine spookfish
Species of fish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The smallspine spookfish (Harriotta haeckeli) is a species of fish in the family Rhinochimaeridae with a rather disjunct population. Its natural habitat is open seas.
| Smallspine spookfish | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Holocephali |
| Order: | Chimaeriformes |
| Family: | Rhinochimaeridae |
| Genus: | Harriotta |
| Species: | H. haeckeli |
| Binomial name | |
| Harriotta haeckeli Karrer, 1972[2] | |
Taxonomy
This species was first described by Christine Karrer in 1972.[3] It has been hypothesised that some records of H. raleighana might refer to H. haeckeli.[4]
This species is named in honor of both the research vessel Ernst Haeckel, from which type was collected, and to the eminent zoologist Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919) for whom the ship was named.[3][5]
Description
H. haeckeli is a small species compared to others in its genus and is coloured pale brown with darker shading on its underside.[4] The species features a broad snout with a slightly concave head profile, with a large head and a tapering body. Approximate total length size reached at maturity is 45cm for males and 60cm for females, with the maximum known length of H. haeckeli reaching 72cm in total length (not including the tail filament).[6]
Distribution
This species can be found off western Greenland, the Canary Islands, northeastern North America, Namibia, the southeastern Indian Ocean, Tasmania and southwestern New Zealand.[4] It normally lives at depths greater than 1100 m.[1] It has been found at depths between 1,114–2,603 metres (3,655–8,540 ft).[6]
Reproduction
Conservation status
This species is threatened by habitat loss.[1] However, in June 2018 the New Zealand Department of Conservation classified the smallspine spookfish as "Not Threatened" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.[7] The IUCN has classified this species as of Least Concern.[1]
